Issues

Nirva LaFortune: Communities must come together to fight racism

>> read now

Providence Sidewalk Repair Overview
We've heard a lot of complaints and questions about sidewalk repair from Ward 3 residents. We asked two of our supporters to spend some time doing a little research on the issue to share with neighbors. Click here to read the Providence Sidewalk Repair Fact Sheet

Great Public Schools
for Every Child

I am a graduate of the Providence public schools and my children attend our public schools, too. That’s why I will fight for safe school buildings and the resources every kid needs.

Our public schools should be a budget priority and we must work with state officials to press for our fair share.

We need to fix our school buildings. Our schools have leaking roofs (MLK), mold (Central), and inaccessible auditoriums (Classical).
I am interested in the autonomy and flexibility many charter schools have used to their advantage at a building and classroom level. I want to explore how principals, teachers and students can have the flexibility to maximize student achievement.
There are amazing things happening every day in our schools. We need to promote the positive stories of the success we see.

Honest, Responsive and
Open Government

We cannot move forward unless we trust our elected officials to work for sound fiscal and ethical governance. I want to bring people together across economic, racial, and gender divides and get to work on solutions.

We are living in a time of distrust of government and institutions -- it is important to point out that this is not unique to Providence. The fix is a collective one:

We need new voices to step up and run for office.
We need our government and our city’s residents to work together.
The city council needs greater transparency and more emphasis on sharing information with residents so we can engage in solutions.
We need to tell the great stories of Providence. Every day our talented people make incredible things happen. We need to champion those stories too.

A City that Welcomes Immigrants

I know firsthand the challenges immigrant families face. My father told me, “Stand up for yourself. You have every right to be here.” I will fight for ordinances that protect the rights of immigrants.

As an immigrant, I’ve been proud to see sanctuary cities widely discussed in Providence. About 1 in 8 Rhode Islanders were born in another country, and even a larger number are the children of people who came here. Undocumented immigrants have very real fears in our community. We need to do whatever we can within our jurisdiction to protect all of our residents.

I see neighbors doing important work to build new bridges. I want to continue to encourage connections at a neighborhood level so that we can know one another and work together.

A Safe Community for Everyone

I have been racially profiled, and I have lost a loved one to gun violence. You can count on me to promote sensible gun control, stand against racial profiling, and work to hold the police accountable. As the mother of a black teenage boy, these issues are very real and very important to me.

I strongly support the Providence Community-Police Relations Act, and we need to make sure it is implemented thoughtfully.
We need to do what we can at a city level to fight for smart gun control and limit access to weapons not designed for our streets.
We need to be active at the state house advocating for stronger controls at a state level.

Sound and Collaborative Fiscal Practices

Providence’s financial position is one of the most important challenges our city faces. And without sound leadership, we cannot move forward. It is important to acknowledge that the pension liability was not created overnight, and we will not be able to solve it overnight.

We need to elect strong, honest leadership who will work hard to understand the current fiscal position and help engage people in identifying solutions.
We need to make sure that our current budgets are balanced and do not increase the liability going forward.
We must bring all the players to the table as partners to address long-term solutions.
We need to ensure that we have a strong partnership with our state representatives to ensure that the state understands its responsibility in ensuring the long-term health of our capital city.